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In this episode, James Wallis, co-host of Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast and author of “Everybody Wins: Four Decades of the Greatest Board Games Ever Made,” and I talk about what RPG designers can learn from board games. We talked about the history and influence of board games, the challenges of playtesting RPGs, and how incorporating board game mechanics can benefit RPG design. We also have some shout outs.

News: On the RPPR Patreon, on the newest episode of After Hours, we discuss the most horrifying spells in Dungeons and Dragons. On Recommendizer, Thad and I talk about good inspirational sources for zombie apocalypse games. Our next campaign on RPPR Actual Play is Delta Green: Impossible Landscapes. Check out this poster for the campaign!

Shout Outs

  • Who Fears the Devil: a collection of short stories about Silver John, who fights witches and ghosts in the Appalachian mountains.
  • The Night Ocean: a biographical novel of H.P. Lovecraft, his life, and the early days of fandom.
  • A Town Called Malice: a storytelling game inspired by Nordic noir and isolated small town horror.
  • Die: A comic series about RPG players entering in their fantasy campaign world
  • Terracotta Army: A worker placement board game about building statues for the emperor’s tomb.
  • Dread: A classic RPG that uses Jenga for its conflict resolution system.
  • Jury Duty: A reality comedy series about a fake trial and 1 real juror.

Music: Chillhops Essentials Spring 2023

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:30 — 54.1MB)

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News: There’s a horror video marathon on the RPPR Patreon Discord on Sunday October 30, starting at 3 pm CDT! Sign up for the RPPR Newsletter and get a FREE Monster PDF!

Synopsis: After watching the first 7 Saw movies in the last week, I realized that game design comes up in a lot in horror films. I got Chris and Aaron to talk about the franchise and other horror movies that intersect with game design topics. We mention Phantasm, Cube, Circle, Tremors, and a lot of other movies. A fun discussion just in time for the spookiest month of the year!

Shout Outs

  • Saloum: An African horror thriller film currently on Shudder. Beautiful, intriguing, and unforgettable
  • Scorn: A horror adventure video game with a biomechanical aesthetic.
  • Three Thousand Years of Longing: A fantasy film about a writer and a genie, from director George Miller
  • Forgive Me Father: A Lovecraftian FPS with an old school design. Mow down hordes of cultists with a tommy gun. What’s not to love?
  • Shining the Holy Ark: A Sega Saturn RPG with some unique features.
  • Happy Endings: An autobiography of Bella Green, a comedian and sex worker.
  • Disney Dreamlight Valley: Animal Crossing but with Disney characters.
  • Floodlight: A drum and bass album where all proceeds go to disaster relief for flooding in Pakistan.
  • Quantum Leap: It’s a reboot of the 1980s show.

Music: Floodlight DnB Aid for Flooding in Pakistan

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:24:17 — 58.1MB)

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Like so many other things, game design has changed in the post-pandemic world. Jeff Barber, author of Blue Planet, and Caleb Stokes, author of Red Markets, and I talk about work and the industry. Jeff’s been hard at work on Blue Planet: Recontact and Caleb talks more about Fae’s Anatomy and other projects he’s working on. We hit on everything from writing, art direction, to graphic design, and work/life balance.

Song: Cmon by 2Mello

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:15:43 — 52.2MB)

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